News

New campaigns for the separate collection of organic and plastic waste launched

Today, the European Community and the Regional Waste Management Plan invite us to adopt a new approach to the old concepts of consumption and waste in order to limit the use of non-renewable resources and introduce a new, more virtuous model that is less consumer-driven. It is therefore essential that the entire community works together to achieve the increasingly important goals of separate waste collection and the safeguarding of our environment.

With this in mind, Hera has just launched two communication campaigns to raise public awareness of the importance of correctly disposing of organic and plastic waste.

On one hand, organic waste, collected separately and subjected to special processing, can be transformed into compost, which is a kind of soil very useful in agriculture and gardening. Some plants are also able to recover energy from the entire composting process. On the other hand, plastic is one of the materials we use most on a daily basis and huge quantities of oil are required to make it. Thanks to separate waste collection and new technologies, plastic packaging can be recovered, with important savings generated in terms of raw materials. For this reason, the straightforward yet important goal of the new communication campaign dedicated to this material is to clarify one essential point: that only containers and packaging (cups, food trays, wrapping, bottles, boxes and tubs, disposable plates etc.) that have been emptied and washed can be disposed of in the bins for plastic waste. This guarantees the quality of the collection process and, most importantly, that the plastic collected is suitable for recycling. If you still have any doubts there is always Il Rifiutologo (the ‘Wasteologist’), Hera’s well-known free app that associates every material with its corresponding method of disposal, which is also able to recognise the barcodes on the packaging of the most popular consumer products.

01/07/2017

Hera and ISS together for the application of the Water Safety Plans

They are called Water Safety Plans and they are the European protocols for the monitoring of all phases of the production and distribution chain of drinking water. Considered in Directive 1787/2015, they require member states to comply as soon as possible, but Hera - as ever - does not plan to wait. Long since committed to the painstaking monitoring of its water network with a service that is able to guarantee economical and high quality drinking water right across the area it serves, the multiutility has signed a cooperation agreement with the Istituto Superiore di Sanità (ISS - the Italian National Health Institute) to apply complete Water Safety Plans to two of its water systems in the 2017-2018 period. In this way, it will be able to learn the methodology and the skills outlined in the new legislation so it can then extend the Water Safety Plans to all of the water systems it manages. An important initiative that was the subject of a conference dedicated to industry experts - held on Wednesday 21 June at the multiutility’s Bologna site - that was also attended by the Group’s top management as well as the institutions and bodies involved in the project.

Guaranteed by over 2,000 controls a day, tap water is a priority for Hera, which has dedicated the specific “In Good Water” report to it. Now in its eighth edition, the report is published annually to provide details on all aspects of this fundamental service.

June

30/06/2017

FarmacoAmico: 40,500 packs of medicines donated in 2016 alone

FarmacoAmico is the project promoted by Hera to collect medicines that have not yet expired in order to create a charitable network in the local area. Launched in 2013 in association with Last Minute Market, FarmacoAmico aims to collect satisfactorily conserved medicines, which still have at least six months to go before their use-by dates so they can be reused by non-profit Associations that operate in local or decentralised cooperation projects.

The goal is to prevent the production of rubbish, spreading good practices regarding the reduction of waste and supporting the organisations that help the weaker sections of society.

Active in Bologna, Imola, Medicina, Faenza, Ravenna and Forlì since September 2016, FarmacoAmico has also been extended to the Unione dei Comuni Valli del Reno, Lavino and Samoggia, involving a total of 94 pharmacies. A successful project that in 2016 alone made it possible to collect and reuse around 40,500 packs of medicines of an economic value of over €520,000.

But that’s not all. In recent months, the Hera Group has been working to extend the initiative to other municipalities in Emilia Romagna, including the important provincial capital of Modena.

To find out more about the project read the Hera Group 2016 Sustainability Report.

29/06/2017

Hera Spa certified according to new SA8000:2014 standard

Hera’s social certification confirms the results of its commitment to improving working conditions with concrete actions. Between February and May, the certifying body DNV GL confirmed the renewal of the certification and its extension according to the new SA8000:2014 standard, which introduces significant changes to the standard requirements. Improvements to the 2014 standard include the so-called “Social Fingerprint”, a self-assessment of the maturity of the SA8000 management system. The questionnaire filled out by Hera was then verified by DNV GL, which awarded it a score of 4.7 (out of 5).

The results of the audit were positive and highlighted numerous strengths including the company’s constant focus on development and training, and the close centralised monitoring of supplier compliance with the standard. In this latter area, the Group is involved in an important operation to raise the awareness of suppliers.

Among the positive results, the certifying body also learned of the launch of the Social Performance Team’s work and was able to verify that all reports received during the year were processed seeking shared solutions.

19/06/2017

4th place for the Hera Group for online social responsibility communications

Once again, Hera has been recognised as one of the leading companies in Italy in terms of the online communication of its commitment to sustainability and stakeholder engagement. These were the findings of the prestigious rankings put together by Lundquist (www.lundquist.it), which every year assesses how companies use the digital channels (website and social media) to inform and involve their stakeholders as regards corporate social responsibility. For the 7th edition of the Lundquist CSR Online Awards, the research considered 254 European companies, 100 of which Italian (80 listed and 20 major unlisted companies). Preceded only by Snam, Eni and Tim, the Hera Group was acknowledged for its ability to communicate CSR content in an integrated way on its corporate website and for the ‘distinctiveness’ of its communications, relayed instantly with videos and infographics.

Hera is the Italian multi-utility that improves every day, with regard to the environment, the quality of its waste management, water and energy services through strong links in the area in which it operates and the capacity for innovation